Shelter From the Past
by Broadwayluv
Summary: When a storm breaks out on the way to Switzerland, the family takes shelter in an unexpected place…
1. Where to go?

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 1**

**Where to Go**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters in the Sound of Music or the people in the real life story although I'm sure my subconscious is convinced otherwise.

**Author's Note**: This story is AU. I realize that Maria's brother was much older then her and that they never met, but for the purposes of this story, they were very close and he was only two years older then her. This is my very first attempt at any kind of fanfic so please be gentle…

**Summary**: When a storm breaks out on the way to Switzerland, the family takes shelter in an unexpected place…

They'd barely been walking for an hour when it happened; the sky darkened, the clouds opened, and the nine weary members of the Von Trapp family stopped their trek and looked at each other in disbelief, each thinking the same thing.

"Why now?" After having narrowly escaped the Nazis, hiking through rain so thick it was coming down in sheets was not high on the Von Trapp's list of things they wanted to being doing. Georg grimaced, but Maria forced a smile and continued to try to keep her children's spirits up.

"It's alright, surely we can keep going, after all a little rain never hurt anybody."

The older children tried hard to look encouraged, but Maria could see that they were not overly comforted. Gretl, who was now in her father's arms instead of on his back, was shedding silent tears into his shoulder and Louisa and Brigitta were huddled close together; starting to shiver while trying to stay confident. Friedrich was pacing in an attempt to pretend like he wasn't bothered by anything. Kurt had given into fear and was clinging to Liesl who had less of a fearful look on her, then a numb, "what are we going to do now" stare. Marta was similarly clutching her mother's dress, her eyes so wide they were practically popping out of her head.

Finally, Maria looked over towards her husband. He was gently rubbing Gretls back to soothe her tears, but his eyes betrayed his worry. Their journey was dangerous enough as it was, but at night in a storm, he didn't even want to take the risk of going on.

Feeling obligated to try again, Maria put her optimistic grin back on.

"Look on the bright side, at least it's only rain. No lightning, no thun-"

BOOM! A loud crack sounded through the night air startling the nine travelers on to the ground. That was bad. Thunder meant lightning and lightning meant they needed to get out of storm before it got worse, but where could they go? They couldn't see any houses and the only other option was to turn back; a chance that none of them was willing to take.

Maria sighed deeply. There was one other place that could offer them shelter, but she was not at all eager to anywhere near it. She'd sworn to herself years ago when she ran away to the abbey that she would never step foot in that house again. On the other hand, it wasn't that far away and her family's safety was more important, right? Right. She took a deep breath and looked up at her husband.

"I know where we can go, follow me."

_Good or bad, reviews let me know that you read the story so pleeeeeeeeeease press the little blue button…_


	2. Are you Alright?

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 2**

**Are You Alright?**

**Disclaimer: **I thought I might get them for my birthday last Monday, but no, I merely got the consolation prize of seeing them on stage (it was sooooo cool!).

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for the reviews! I'll try to update as often as I can. This chapter may seem a little slow, but it needs to be here! By the way, I didn't think any of the TSOM characters would use "zoned out", so I changed it to "blanked out", but it means the same thing.

**Summary: **Hasn't changed.

"_I know where we can go, follow me."_

* * *

If it weren't for the look in his wife's eyes, Georg would've jumped up and run after her like there was no tomorrow, but there was something wrong, there was a shadow in her eyes that he had never seen before. The emotion in her face was baffling to him. Her mouth was numb, like she couldn't quite face wherever she was talking about and her usually sparkling eyes bore traces of sadness, maybe regret? Did she not mean what she said?

A flash of lightning in the distance reminded them all of the danger they were in. He would find out what was troubling her when they were safe, right now she needed to get them to shelter, not cry in his arms as she spilled her secrets. The looks of hope on his children's faces turned quickly turned his worry into a timid smile as he glanced back towards Maria chuckling.

"My goodness you know how to wait until the last minute to mention things." Everyone's eyes brightened at his joking manner and he could see some of Maria's confidence returning. Another loud blast of thunder echoed through the night sky, as Maria jumped up.

"Come along now, quickly!"

Georg swiftly helped the children to their feet while Maria determined which direction they needed to go.

When given instructions to follow their mother, six of the children were more then happy to obey, eager to get out of the freezing rain. Lisel however, stayed behind; Georg wasn't the only one that that had noticed Maria's apprehension.

"Father." She whispered, tugging at his sleeve. "Are you sure mother's alright, she looked awfully frightened and… well…I … I guess I've just never seen her like that before and…" Lisel couldn't understand why she was so worried; it was natural for her family to be scared at a time like this, but her mother's fear had looked different and she didn't know why.

"Father?" She tried again looking at his vague expression.

"Yes Lisel, sorry, what did you say?" Truth be told, he had heard her, but he was at a loss for Maria's behavior as well, and he wasn't sure how to respond without worrying his daughter even more.

"Nothing, I was just wondering if mother was okay."

"Yes darling, of course. She's just a bit shaken up; we all are." Lisel raised her eyebrow, she didn't believe him, but then he didn't believe him either, so it didn't really matter. Georg sighed deeply.

"Look, I know your concerned about her, I am too, but right now is not the time to bother her. Once we get out of the storm I'll talk her, but until then, the only thing I want you to worry about is keeping yourself and your brothers and sisters safe. Alright?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"Alright."

"Thank you. Now run, we have to catch up!"

Lisel grabbed her father's hand and started running, all the while hoping that everything would turn out okay.

* * *

Their hike was so short that Georg was astounded that they hadn't seen the large farm earlier, but then again it was almost entirely secluded by trees. During the trip, Georg had been thrilled to see Maria bounce right back to her normal self, laughing and joking with the children to keep them distracted and positive. Not even their incessant questions about their destination seemed to bother her, even though she always answered them in the same way.

_"Mother, you never said where we were going." Brigitta half asked, half stated. Maria simply grinned and said._

_"You'll just have to wait until we get there then, now won't you." Not satisfied, the girl went on._

_"But I think you should tell us, after all our entire future depends on us arriving there and none of us even knows where 'there' is." Maria simply continued to grin. "Mother, pleeeeeeeease?"_

_Maria squeezed her daughter's hand comfortingly._

_"Someplace safe, sweetheart, someplace safe."_

Now however, her worry had returned, and she was filled with doubtful questions.

"Why am I doing this?" "What if they find out?" "Will they still love me, more importantly, will Georg still love me?" "What if he won't let us stay here? No that's silly; he wouldn't leave us out here alone." "What if-''

"Maria." She felt someone rubbing her shoulder.

"Yes." Still somewhat dazed.

"The rain's coming down harder and we really need to run."

"Oh sorry darling, I guess I blanked out." Georg smiled at her at as he took her hand and she brightened at the gesture as they started running after the children.

* * *

Had Maria been the first to reach the door, they would have waited years before she found the courage to knock, but unfortunately for her, it was Louisa who got that honor, and she wasted no time in nearly breaking down the door in an effort to get the resident's full and undivided attention. Maria ran faster to try and stop her, but instead, ended up crashing into the man who had just stepped outside. She stood up quickly only to find herself being stared at as if she was a ghost. The man finally spoke in an almost awed whisper.

"Maria?"

_Okay, chapter 2 is up! Let me know what you think._


	3. Old Greetings

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 3**

**Old Greetings**

**Disclaimer: **How many 20th Century Fox producers have to die before ownership can be passed to me?

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long….To anyone currently working on a TSOM story: PLEASE UPDATE! People want to read! Also note: Norbert is a dog.

**Summary: **A new character is added, but the plot still hasn't changed.

"_Maria?"

* * *

"Johann?" _

Johann Rainer stared in shock at his baby sister; a person he'd thought he'd never see again.

"Oh my god. What are you doing here…I thought…?" Maria quickly cut him off.

"Um, Johann, it's pouring and we're cold, can we talk later." He finally realized that she was soaked and shivering and that there were eight other thoroughly wet people standing wearily behind her.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry, please come in you must be freezing."

"We're hungry too!"

"Kurt!" Georg looked somewhat disapprovingly at his son, but Johann just laughed.

"It's alright, I've got plenty to go around and I wouldn't mind some company to eat it with."

Maria stayed put while her family walked eagerly past her into the house. There were so many things she had to discuss with her brother, but with her family near her it seemed that there would never be a good time to do so. There was one thing she needed to know immediately however.

"Are you coming in too?" He asked playfully.

"Yes, in a moment." She stated. He turned towards the door. "Johann, wait."

"Maria, we're in the middle of the storm of the year, must I?"

"Please, I don't want to talk where my family can hear us."

Johann understood; he'd have been reluctant to talk about their past to his family as well if he had one.

"You want to know where Richard is, don't you." Even after all these years, he couldn't bring himself to put 'uncle' in front of the name. It cemented the fact that they were related; a fact neither of them liked to acknowledge.

"Well, yes. I mean… I know it shouldn't matter… it's just that." She was breaking down. Silent tears were beginning to make their way down her face, and she was grateful to the rain for the first time for hiding them. "Johann, I'm still so scared. I still have nightmares and I'm worried that if I see Richard again, I won't be able to lie to my husband as to what they're about and he can't find out about my past, he just can't."

"Maria, Maria, shh. It's okay." All of the stress and weariness of the past two days caught up to her and she collapsed into his arms, crying. Johann comfortingly held her close. He had never known until now just how much Richard had traumatized her. They stayed like that for several minutes until she calmed down.

"Maria, listen. Richard's not here right now." Relief flooded her face.

"He's not?"

"No, he went down into the city to do…something. He wouldn't say what and frankly I didn't care. Anyway, he's nowhere near here; you have nothing to be afraid of." He paused. "Was part of the reason you didn't want him to meet your family because you thought he might hurt them."

_"Yes!"_ "No of course not, that would be ridiculous." She laughed. No reason to make him think she was paranoid. "By the way, speaking of my family, you didn't even seem the least bit surprised when I showed up with a husband and seven children."

"Maria, all of Austria knew about your engagement, I even went to the wedding."

"You did? I didn't see you." She suddenly felt really stupid.

"You wouldn't have, I left the minute the ceremony was over."

"Oh." A moment of comfortable silence passed between the two. Both of them were thrilled that were getting along as if she'd never left; another topic that needed discussing as soon as possible. _"This is going to be a long night." _

"I think we should go inside, the children will eat anything if they're hungry enough." He chuckled.

"Well then we'd better hurry; Norbert's not as fast as he used to be…" He quickly jumped back to avoid Maria's friendly slap as they raced to the door.

_I know it didn't explain too much, but I'll try and have the next chapter up quicker then this one. R and R!_


	4. The Begining to a Long Night

**Shelter from the Past**

**Chapter 4**

**The Beginning to a Long Night**

**Disclaimer:** If I said I was .000001 related to Maria Von Trapp, do you think I could claim them?

**Author's Note:** Yes! The TSOM section hit over 230! By the way, if anyone has read the French story, could you tell me what it's about? Sorry this took so long, but term papers come up at the most inconvenient times…

**Summary: **Same old, same old.

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"_Well then we'd better hurry; Norbert's not as fast as he used to be…" He quickly jumped back to avoid Maria's friendly slap as they raced to the door._

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Maria stood just inside for a moment and let herself take in her childhood home. Very little had changed; the front door opened into a cozy sitting area where two old, antique chairs with fluffy cushions sat on a soft, yet worn down rug in front of a fireplace. To the right was the dining room where she could see several of her children waiting for a reviving snack, and up against the far wall was Richard's "sacred" alcohol cabinet. She only looked at it for a second before averting her eyes, there was no need to think about that right now. Instead, her gaze wandered to the left side of the sitting room where a hallway framed by bookshelves and knick-knacks led the way to the bedrooms and the bathroom. She hoped there would be enough room for all of them to spend the night.

_"Well, lets see."_ She thought. _"The girls could stay in the sitting room, the rug and the chairs should be comfortable enough, uh, the boys and Georg could maybe stay in Johann's room, and then I guess Johann and I would stay in my old room. Yes, that would work; Georg will be disappointed, but I'll make it up to him somehow. Yes, this keeps everyone except Johann and me out of my room."_

"Mother!" Yelled Gretl as she ran out of the dining room. Maria snapped out of her thoughts and turned her attention to her young daughter.

"Mother, Uncle Johann made chicken soup!

"Uncle, huh?"

"Yah. Brigitta said that since you married father, all of your family is now our family."

"_Not Richard, I won't let you be related to him."_

"So we asked Johann and he said that we could call him what we wanted. Now we have two uncles!" A loud blast of thunder echoed through the sky and Gretl screamed as she clung quickly to her mother's skirt.

"Oh, sweetheart, are you still afraid?" Gretl violently nodded her head.

"It's so loud." She looked innocently up at Maria. "Mother, could you sing to me?" Maria smiled.

"Not right now, but you know what?"

"What?"

"I hear that soup makes you feel just as good as your favorite things!"

"Really!" The five-year-old's excitement perked right back up.

"Mm hmm! Come, why don't we go join the others." Gretl giggled as Maria whisked her off the ground and spun her around as she carried her towards the kitchen whistling as she went.

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Snack, or dinner rather, turned out to be much more delightful then any of them had anticipated. After formal introductions, both adults and children were almost giddy about sitting down around a table and eating dinner, with their family. Other then a few general questions about the house and Maria and Johann's childhood, the conversation revolved mainly around Maria's time at the Von Trapp house. Maria had Johann to thank for that. After he'd heard all that happened on Maria's very first day, he'd insisted they tell story after story. Maria knew he was genuinely interested in what she'd been up too, but she wondered if his ulterior motive to keep her family off the subject of their past was just as strong as hers.

Johann listened to his nieces and nephews with glee. He was beyond happy that his sister had finally found the family she deserved; even though she worried, she was glowing. She and Georg were perfect for each other; they balanced each other yet they had so many similarities.

The children had reached the Edelweiss moment in their saga. None of them could really summarize the feelings in that room, so Liesl tried a different approach.

"That was the day we knew mother and father were in love with each other." Despite the close relationship that they had, Maria knew Johann would go all "annoying big brother" on her if her love life came up. She opened her mouth to try and move the story along to the party, but Johann saw what she was going to do before the words were out of her mouth.

"Oh? How could you tell?" Maria raised her eyebrows at the giant smirk on her brother's face. Brigitta saw where this was going and eagerly joined in in a clearly dramatized voice.

"They were gazing lovingly into each other's eyes as father serenaded her with the song he claimed he was playing for everyon-''

"Brigitta..." Maria and Georg warned at the same time. Their voices were stern, but their smiles gave away their embarrassment.

"Aww." Johann started, "You fell in love over a song." He grinned when she blushed deeper then he'd ever seen. Maria was about to respond when she saw Marta try and stifle a yawn. It was rather late, and the stress had made them even more exhausted then usual. Turning to Georg, she knew he was thinking the same thing.

"Johann, as fun as this has been, I really think my family and I could use some rest." Johann glanced over at the clock; 1:25 a.m.

"Ooh, you're right, um, I think there should be enough room for everyone."

"But mother, we don't want to go to sleep, we're not tiiiiiiiiired." Friedrich protested as his last word turned into an elongated yawn.

"You were saying?" Maria asked while smiling at his determination to stay awake. Friedrich smiled sheepishly. She turned to Johann. "I was thinking the girls could sleep in the living room, Georg and the boys could take your room, and then we could stay in my room." She smiled weakly knowing that the sleeping arrangement was far from what she and Georg would've preferred.

Johann looked between his sister and brother-in-law and smirked. _"I wonder if they know how transparent they are." _He decided to save his sarcastic remarks for the moment, though; he knew that the two of them needed to talk.

"That's fine." He turned to the children. "How about you all come with me to get blankets and pillows for the living room." The children nodded and started towards the hallway. Johann started to follow them, but then turned around suddenly with an evil grin on his face. He looked right at Georg and Maria for a moment before quietly teasing them.

"By the way, if either of you decide you need more space, there's plenty of room in the barn." The couple's mouths dropped open causing Johann to chuckle before turning on his heel to follow the children.

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_Sorry it took so long, I promise to try and update more frequently, please stay with me. The last paragraph just came out, and rather then trying to hide it's implications, I just let it be._


	5. Love, Trust, and Secrets Part 1

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 5**

**Love, Trust, and Secrets **

**Part 1**

**Disclaimer: **YES! THEY ARE FINALLY MINE! Kidding, I just wanted to know how it felt to say that.

**Author's Note: **I really should just stop apologizing for my late updates. I write when I have a spare moment, and I'm having fewer and fewer as this month goes on! Part two of this chapter will hopefully follow shortly…_fingers crossed…_

**Author's Note #2: **To the author of The Betrothal: WHY DID YOU REMOVE YOUR STORY? It was a fabulous story and one day it just disappeared! Please bring it back…

**Summary: **see chapter one

"_By the way, if either of you decide you need more space, there's plenty of room in the barn." The couple's mouths dropped open causing Johann to chuckle before turning on his heel to follow the children._

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_"Finally alone."_ Was the first thought that entered both Maria and Georg's heads once Johann was out of earshot. Though both were still somewhat embarrassed by his last comment, neither knew how appealing Johann's suggestion had sounded to the other. The hours since Georg had received his commission had taken an emotional toll on them both, and at the moment, there was nothing either of them wanted more then to forget their current reality. Georg had yet to ask what was bothering his wife, but that could wait; they weren't going anywhere.

With so many unsaid words between them, Maria and Georg felt an almost odd silence; each unable to start the conversation they knew needed to come next, so instead Georg opted for small talk, hoping to ease the tension he knew would only increase once the children were asleep.

"Your brother's charming, you two seem very close." Maria sighed in happy remembrance.

"We always were." At his questioning look she went on. "Our parents died when we were very young; we only had each other for most of our lives. I feel so guilty I haven't spoken to him in years."

"This house isn't actually that far from town, why didn't you visit him?" Maria tensed.

"A lot of reasons-" She paused at the sound of many feet clunking back down the hallway. She smiled. "None of which however, I will bore you with right now."

The two adults grabbed hands and walked towards their laughing offspring. Maria strained to hear what they had become so hysterical about. Johann loved to embarrass her, and she was just a bit concerned that they were laughing at one of her childhood mishaps. Sure enough, her little sister instincts had proved her correct.

"Is it true you broke your leg while trying to "fly" out your window?" Louisa asked between giggles. Maria glared; of all the stupid things she did, that was the one he chose to humiliate her with. Even Georg had developed an amused expression.

"Johann." His laughter stopped at her _I'm going to kill you now_ tone of voice. "How did this fond little memory happen to come up?" She started inching closer to him trying desperately to keep the smile off her face. This only enhanced her children's grins when they realized what she was doing.

"Um, well, you see, um." He stuttered.

"Yes…" By this time she backed him up against the wall.

"Well, I pulled out the sheet you had tried to use as a cape and it just came out and they don't think any less of you and I didn't tell them anything else and please don't hurt me!" She wanted to laugh so badly her mouth was starting to hurt. Thoroughly amused that he was still intimidated by her temper after all this time, she decided to let him go. She stepped back from the wall.

"It's alright, I was never really that mad." His eyes opened wide.

"Are you serious?" She nodded. "Wow, I never gave you enough credit for acting." She smiled.

"Thank you, but-'' She paused to address the small child tugging at her skirt. "Yes Marta."

"I'm really sleepy."

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, why don't we set up the blankets."

Maria, Georg, and Johann quickly laid out the makeshift beds and tucked the children in in their respective rooms. And despite what most of them had said, all of them fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows; all except one.

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The three adults walked quietly back into the dining room, not quite ready to go to sleep yet. Maria felt more at ease with Johann by her side. His presence gave her reassurance for what she was going to try to tell Georg. The couple sat down close to one another and Maria rested her head against her husband's shoulder; perhaps she was more tired then she thought. Johann smiled at them and turned around to boil some water for tea. No one spoke, but it was a peaceful silence; as if they finally felt free to breathe.

Johann walked back to the table with the tea. Maria was about to say something when Brigitta walked sleepily into the room.

"Brigitta?" Her father asked concernedly. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep." Turning to Maria, "Mother could you read to me?"

Maria looked between Georg and Johann; their talk would just have to be postponed. Receiving silent nods from both of them, she walked her yawning daughter back into the living room.

Georg and Johann shared a brief glance, their thoughts quite apparent on their faces. _"Alright, she's gone, talk to me."_

Georg had questions and Johann felt that even though they would be talking behind Maria's back, it was necessary for him to give the whole story to Georg before he heard Maria's somewhat biased version of events.

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"Why can't you sleep sweetheart?"

Brigitta had worried Maria since they left the house hours ago. She seemed more troubled then any of the other children, and Maria didn't know if it was simply her keen sense of observation was telling her more then the others, or if there was actually something wrong with her about.

"I'm worried." She stated simply.

_"Worried about what?"_ wondered Maria.

At this point in their lives, "I'm worried" could apply to any one of a long list of problems. Maria's face must have looked questioning, for Brigitta hesitantly added.

"I'm worried about you."

Maria was surprised she wasn't more shocked by her daughter's confession; then again, she couldn't help thinking in the back of her mind that that wasn't the last inquiry about her wellness that would be made that night.

"What do you mean?" Had she been that obvious?

"Well, you've seemed different ever since we started walking here and if you and father know that something might happen to us…"

_"Phew, it's not what I thought."_

"Sweetheart, your father and I would never hide anything from you that could potentially put you in danger."

"But-''

"I promise."

"And you-''

"I'm fine. I'd be even better though if I knew you were resting."

"Alright. Goodnight mother." She said sweetly.

"Goodnight Brigitta." She turned to rejoin Georg and Johann.

"Mother?" She stopped walking.

"Yes."

"How long do you think we'll stay here?"

_"A good question…"_ "I honestly don't know, but it probably won't be more then a couple of days; just until the weather calms down." Brigitta smiled and lay back down on her pillow.

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"What do you want to know?" Johann asked plainly. He assumed Maria had told her husband absolutely nothing about her childhood, so he decided to answer specific questions before divulging the epic of their younger years.

"Well," Georg sighed, he didn't have anything to form a question about. Maria had only described her childhood as _unfortunate_, and when he'd pressed for more, she'd shrugged his inquiries and said that it wasn't important now. "Maria said that she had had an unfortunate upbringing, could you possibly tell me why?"

_"Of all the vague questions!" _"I can try, but you may not understand a lot of it."

"Why not?"

"Well from the way you asked me about her, you don't sound convinced that Maria could have had an unhappy anything." He smiled.

"No," he looked wistful. "I suppose not. She's just so kind, and generous, and loving, it's hard to imagine that she grew up surrounded by hate. Not to mention that her relationship with you seems so positive-''

"Now," Johann cut him off. "Believe me, we weren't always this close. It actually took an incredibly devastating group of events to make us stop being the stubborn siblings that we were until she was ten."

"What happened?" Georg was growing more curious by the moment, even if it was striking him as odd that Johann was much more open about the subject then Maria was.

"A lot of difficult things to deal with that all came at us too fast and too close together."

Georg exhaled. "I know that feeling."

Johann smiled. "Then you'll know we didn't deal with it very well." He became serious again. "Our mother died when Maria was nine; I was eleven. Our father was so insanely in love with her that her death made him lose his mind. He brought us here one night while we were sleeping, and then the next day he was gone. We never saw him again, in fact the last time we even within a few feet of him was at his funeral; he committed suicide a few years afterward." Johann took a moment to breathe.

"You said he brought you here; where is here, well, what I mean to say is-''

"What significance did this house have to us?"

"Yes."

"It belonged, belongs, to our Uncle." The normally endearing term was said with such disgust that Georg had a hard time hiding his surprise. Johann noticed, but wouldn't elaborate on his apparent dislike.

"It's not my place; Maria needs to be the one to tell you."

Georg let it go, but only because he was processing more information already then he knew what to do with. Maria had been through so much more then he'd ever imagined and clearly even more then that as she still had secrets to reveal. What ever they were, they were bad enough to make her terrified at the mere mention of the house, and he was determined to help her face them. Johann's voice broke through his thoughts.

"I guess the other thing I should probably tell you about our Uncle is that-'' He stopped himself as Maria came back into the room. She smiled at both of them and then resumed her seat next to Georg. He reached over and pulled her closer to him as he kissed her forehead.

"Is Brigitta asleep?" he asked.

"Not yet, but she probably will be in a few minutes. She was worried."

"About what?" Johann joined in.

"At first she said about me, but then she seemed to be more concerned that we were keeping something from all of them." The only words Georg really heard were "about me". That would make the forth person that evening who was openly concerned about Maria; he needed to talk to her alone and find out what was wrong.

"Darling is there a place where we could talk?" Maria was about to answer when Johann smarmily added.

"I told you already, the barn is up for grabs." Maria glared at him.

"Actually I think that would be a good place for us to go; we won't be overheard." Johann's grin tripled in size. "And we won't be doing whatever is going on in your head right now." His expression faltered for a moment before he realized that her tone was playful, not accusing.

"I'm going to sleep then." He addressed Maria, "Do you want me to set up the extra mattress for you?"

"If it's not too much trouble. I'm really tired and I'll probably be joining you soon anyway."

"Alright," He pulled her into a hug, "I'll see you in a little while, don't stay out too late."

"We wont."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

With that, Johann walked towards the bedrooms and Maria took Georg's arm as she led him through the side door from the house to the barn in order to stay out of the rain. Time alone with him was all she needed; time alone to explain everything.

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_Part one is complete! Please review, it keeps me inspired! I face a big decision right now: To bring her uncle back while they're there, or to not. When and if you review, could you also answer this question; I want to please my readers. This decision does not affect part two of this chapter, though, so I will keep working. Hope you enjoy the story! _


	6. Love, Trust, and Secrets Part 2

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 5, Part 2**

**Do You Still Love Me?**

**Disclaimer: **No, no, no, no, no………..

**Author's Note: **Wow, I haven't posted in a long time… Nevertheless, on with the story. This chapter contains some violent/sexual references; don't like, don't read, and please don't flame! Based on reviewers' opinions and my own imagination, I have decided to have her Uncle return while they are still there. It will not be in this chapter though, as he has no place in a strictly M&G chapter. Thank you to my kind reviewers!

**Summary:** If you don't already know, please go back to chapter 1 and read your way here again.

"_With that, Johann walked towards the bedrooms and Maria took Georg's arm as she led him through the side door from the house to the barn in order to stay out of the rain. Time alone with him was all she needed; time alone to explain everything."_

* * *

Georg held tightly to Maria's hand as she led him away from the house. Her palm was sweating; she was nervous. Her heart kept telling her that he would always love her no matter what, but in her mind, she wasn't so sure. And even if he was accepting, could he really be understanding as well? He'd told her bits and pieces of his childhood and from what Maria could gather, he'd had a decent upbringing. Could he understand what it was like have a mutual hate relationship with your guardian? Could he look past her scars for the rest of their lives? She had already lied about the physical scars, but she could tell every time he touched her back, he was wondering what really put them there; the everlasting reminders of her pain.

They entered the barn as quickly as they'd reached it, and as soon as they both safely inside, Maria turned around and bolted the door as securely as she had when her uncle was drunk. There was no light, but Maria knew every inch of her previous sanctuary, and was easily able to find and light a lantern. The dim light illuminated their faces just enough that both could see the worry on the other's. Maria didn't know how to start. Georg sensed her trepidation and didn't push her.

"Darling, why don't we sit down." He gestured towards the floor and Maria gave a faint smile as they moved to sit close to each other near the lantern. Georg put is arms around her and kissed her forehead as she laid her head on his chest. They sat peacefully in one another's arms for a moment, enjoying a tranquility they hadn't experienced in what seemed like ages.

"Georg?" Maria whispered. He pulled away from her an inch to look down at her face.

"Yes?" His voice was patient, allowing her the time she needed to gather her thoughts.

"Will you always love me?" Georg looked slightly puzzled; he couldn't figure out why she would ask him something like that.

"Of course, darling. Why would you even ask such a silly question?" He responded with some hesitancy.

"Georg, I'm serious." Her slightly monotone voice let him know she wasn't joking.

"Maria, look at me." She turned around in his arms and he put his hand lovingly on her cheek. Her eyes were pleading for reassurance; he almost wanted to cry. "I promise you, I will always love you. There is nothing on this earth that you could ever do to make me stop loving you. How can I make you understand that?" Silent tears began to drip down her face. Her entire body was screaming _"Show me!"_. Georg pulled her close as she began to shake. She sobbed into his shoulder. The reality of what she was about to do had sunk in and she was more terrified then ever.

"Maria, please talk to me, I want to help you." She didn't look up. "Johann already told me a little-'' Now she looked up.

"What did he tell you?" She asked, her voice beginning to shake. Georg sensed that he probably shouldn't have told her, so he stayed silent; afraid to say anything that would further upset her. "Georg, what…did…he…tell…you?"

"Just that you were orphaned at an early age and that your Uncle never really liked you. I promise, that's all." Maria relaxed slightly. That Georg was still almost completely uninformed did not make talking to him any easier, but at least he was going to hear the whole story from her; the way he should.

"Maria, please; you've clearly held on to whatever happened for too long."

"I know."

"I won't judge you or love you any less."

"I….think I know." She was beginning to believe him. She paused and took a deep breath. "I don't know where to start."

_"Johann said the same thing."_ Thought Georg. _"How much could they have gone through?"_ Georg knew that Maria was still uneasy, so he tried to approach the subject differently.

"Why don't you tell me about you and Johann?" He asked. Their loving relationship was so apparent, that he figured she would be more then willing to talk about it. Sure enough, he saw a little of the trepidation in her eyes melt away as he spoke.

"I think we're the only siblings on the planet who never hated each other." Her smile grew as she reminisced. "We were best friends growing up," her smile faded "But I guess we didn't really have anyone else."

"You don't have to tell me yet if you don't want to." Georg reassured.

"I know." She paused. "But I will." Her voice grew serious and Georg knew that this time she was really going to tell him what had happened in her past. "You know already that my uncle didn't like me or Johann very much." Georg nodded, "What you don't know is the extent of that dislike." She took a deep breath and continued, knowing that there was no turning back.

* * *

_15 years earlier_

_Two children walked somberly behind their guardian for the day; their tears still not dry from their father's funeral. They didn't speak; there was no need to. They were being taken to their uncle's house, and while their parents had always spoken of him in a positive regard, Johann and Maria had a bad feeling about what was to come. Their guardian brought them to the door, knocked, and left. They were alone for the first of many moments._

_When the door opened, they were greeted by the foul stench of alcohol and mud coming from an equally foul persona. The man in front of them could not possibly be their uncle! His clothes were unkempt and fell loosely on his tall frame. His hair was disheveled and dark, and it fell just above his piercing brown eyes, and his beard was unshaven. Yet despite his lazy appearance, Richard Rainer worked hard, and the two pairs of eyes staring up at him knew that he was not one to be messed with. He didn't welcome them, but instead, simply smirked and walked back into the house, leaving the door open. Johann felt his sister tighten her grasp on his hand. He looked at her with an unsure expression before leading her into the house.

* * *

_

"I don't know why we went in." said Maria, "We could've run and ended up anywhere else; but we went in."

* * *

_As Johann and Maria entered the house, they were not surprised to find that its state reflected that of its occupant. Nothing had been dusted for what seemed like years, and the furniture was old and torn. _

_"DOWN THE HALL YOU'LL FIND SOME EMPTY ROOMS. GO IN AND STAY THERE!" Yelled Richard from the kitchen. _

_Johann and Maria ran towards the hallway, eager to distance themselves from their uncle. After a few moments of searching, they found the rooms, went inside, locked the doors, and wept; wept for their parents, for each other, and most of all, for the situation that they were in. They would be in that situation for the next ten years._

"From that day on, it got worse and worse." Maria's voice was void of emotion, as if she wasn't even speaking from her own body.

"What happened next?" Georg asked empathetically.

_As the years went by, Richard grew angrier, while Johann and Maria grew stubborn, strong, miserable, and depressed. Nothing they did was ever good enough for him. In the beginning, they'd tried to be good children and obey everything he said. They'd even cleaned the house one day, only for him to return and beat them for touching his things. That beating was the first of many._

_The abuse had started verbally. The two of them were yelled at for every little thing until it seemed that Richard's only means of communicating to them was through shouting; something that neither of them knew how to deal with. When Johann was nine (Maria was seven), Richard threw him through a window for not working hard enough; the physical abuse had started.

* * *

_

"The scars you asked me about."

"Yes?"

"I lied about how I got them."

Georg exhaled slowly. "Oh." Maria felt her emotions start to give way and the first few tear drops make their way down her cheek.

"I'm sorry." She cried. Georg cradled her gently against him.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not mad." He soothed. She continued to cry as she told her story.

* * *

_"YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BRAT!" screamed Richard as a ten-year-old Maria went flying across the room. Richard was drunk. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT PEOPLE COMING INTO MY HOUSE?!" Maria fell to the floor with a thud; all she had done was brought her best friend home with her to play. _

_"I'm sorry." She whimpered. _

_"Sorry? SORRY?" Richard stomped towards her and kicked her hard in the stomach so that she rolled over. He brought his foot up again, but when it came down, it hit solid floor; Maria had thrown herself to the side just in time, but this infuriated her uncle even further. He grabbed the empty bottle of vodka off the table and raised it above Maria's back. The last thing she remembered that day was screaming "NO!"

* * *

_

"I didn't come to until the middle of the night. Johann face was the first thing I saw; he'd carried me to my bed and put bandages on my back." By now, Georg's tears had joined his wife's. "It turned out that Richard had broken the bottle on the first stroke. I guess that's where the gashes came from. Johann told me that he was passed out drunk, I think I sighed in relief and fell back asleep. Incidents like that happened everyday afterwards to one of us."

"Why didn't you tell someone, Maria?" Georg asked the question as if he was pleading with her to save herself, even though the danger was long gone. Her head snapped up.

"Don't you think we wanted to!?" She realized her tone and calmed down, "I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize." He held her tighter. The light from the lantern illuminated her face in an unearthly way; making her look more beautiful then Georg had ever seen (tears and all). Maria was not someone who showed their vulnerability easily, and he realized, with awe, that that night was the first time he had ever seen her cry. Feeling an overwhelming amount of love for the woman in his arms, Georg reached down and pulled Maria's face to his as he kissed her fully and passionately, sure that he could chase away her demons with his love. Maria however, pulled away from the kiss sooner then expected.

"Please, don't." His hurt expression made her go on. "I'll never finish if you do." When he still looked upset, she reached up and kissed him back so powerfully he was left breathless. He smiled, and then returned to his previous question.

"Darling, why didn't you tell anyone what was going on?"

She sighed. "He said we'd be sorry and at that point, we thought that the only thing worse then what he was already doing was murder." She looked down. "Who would've believed us anyway? Two "troublesome" children accusing their only guardian of abuse? People would've thought we were looking for pity."

"What finally made you leave?"

* * *

_Maria was going to be 16 the next day and for the first time, she went to sleep with a smile on her face. A few hours later she woke up, too excited to sleep. She picked up her journal and started to write. With less then a day to be 15, she wanted to complete the final pages so that she could start anew in the morning. After scribbling down a few thoughts about her day, she heard a knock at her window. She turned around and was delightfully surprised to see her best friend staring at her; gesturing to her to open the window. Maria placed her completed diary on her bed and hurried to let her in. _

_"What are you doing here?" asked Maria in a giggly way._

_"Kidnapping you, of course." Maria rolled her eyes, "I'm serious! It's your birthday tomorrow and you shouldn't have to spend it locked up in this house."_

_"What about Johann?" Even as a teenager, Maria was reluctant to leave her brother alone._

_"He won't even know you're gone, Maria; just come." _

_"You know, I'm beginning to think that you're a bad influence on me." Said Maria as she dodged a playful slap. There was silence for a moment while Maria thought; she knew that if she got caught, she might not live past 16, but then again, Richard was asleep, and Johann would never say anything to either of them on trouble…_

"_Alright I'll come." _

"_Yes!"_

_Maria climbed out her window and the two of them ran for the city; forgetting that she had left her journal out on her bed. _

_Maria approached the house cautiously the next morning, cursing herself for staying out all night. She didn't hear any noise coming from inside and thanked God that Richard and Johann were still asleep. Making her way around to the back, she peeked into the windows for any sign of life that might signify her uncle's presence. Not seeing any, she ran until she reached her own, unlocked window and crept quietly inside. _

"_Where the hell have you been?!" yelled Richard. Maria jumped; she was not expecting him. _

"_Um…" she stalled._

"_WELL?"_

"_I woke up early and thought I'd take a walk." Her voice shook from fear. _

"_You lying piece of shit!" She winced, he hadn't bought it. "You've been gone all night! Who do you think you are? Did you think I was stupid enough not to notice?" _

"_No." She said meekly. She didn't know why, but he was frightening her now more then he ever had before. Something else was wrong. Suddenly, she felt something hard wham into her head and fall to the ground. She looked down at her diary and gasped._

"_It's not anything bad!" she cried out._

"_Not anything bad? THAT BOOK IS FILLED WITH LIES ABOUT ME!" he screamed. Maria felt her own anger rise at his statement._

"_Lies?" she couldn't believe her ears, "I wrote down exactly what you did to us every single day!" She was yelling at him, but she didn't care, not anymore. Something about what he said had filled her with enough fury to make her stand her ground for the first time. _

"_SHUT UP! I NEVER HURT YOU!"_

"_Yes you did! You –'' SMACK! Maria fell backwards onto her bed crying out in pain. She felt her cheek; it was bleeding. She leapt up when she saw Richard bending over her and ran for the door only to find it was locked. Richard snickered and grabbed her from behind as she screamed for Johann._

"_Let me go!" She tried to kick him, but he stepped down hard on her foot and twisted it until her ankle broke, sending her straight to the ground. She couldn't focus enough to crawl and so couldn't move away fast enough to avoid his foot coming down on her back. As she fell back down, he grabbed her by the arms and threw her across the room. She hit the wall and would have fallen again had she not grasped the edge of the bookcase._

"_JOHANN!"_

"_Go ahead and scream for your brother, he won't come! He's not here!" Maria turned white; she was on her own. No, she wouldn't believe him._

"_That's…not…true..." She said between breaths as she tried to stay conscious. Richard just smiled._

"_Yes, it is. He can't hear you; no one can," He leaned in close to her face and whispered into her ear, "And no one ever will." Maria tried to scream again, but Richard covered her mouth and dragged her onto the floor. She felt his hands slide down her body and she felt sick, but she couldn't fight anymore; she didn't have the strength. As he started tugging at her dress, she heard her name yelled out from the front of the house. _

"_Maria!" She felt an overwhelming wave of relief._

"_God damnit!" Richard yelled. He moved sickeningly close to Maria. "Stay here, I'll be back, and don't even think about moving." He left the room. Maria didn't know where he went or when he'd be back, but she knew she had to move somehow. Using all the strength she could find, she crawled to and out of the window. From outside, she heard Johann telling her,_

"_Maria, hang on! Help is coming!" Johann had called the police before coming home, and they were on their way, but at that moment Maria didn't care; and for that one moment, she almost wished they wouldn't make it in time.

* * *

_

"Georg, please say something." Maria pleaded, "Georg, you promised you wouldn't stop loving me if I told you, please say something."

What could he say? He didn't know how to tell her what he was feeling. He wasn't mad at her, and if anything, he loved her more for surviving what she did, but he couldn't talk; not yet, he was filled with too many conflicting emotions. He wanted to show Maria in anyway possible that she was loved, and that everything was going to be okay; he wanted to kill her uncle for hurting her; he wanted to fix what he'd done to his own children even though it came nowhere near close to what Richard had done. The sound of Maria crying against him brought him back to reality.

"I'm so sorry, darling." He finally got out. Maria looked up at him, confused. "I'm so sorry for what happened, but please know that I still love you." Maria started crying even harder, but not out of sorrow; out of joy; Georg still loved her.

"Do you mean that?" she asked

"With all my heart." She practically threw herself into his arms and they held each other as tight as they could; as if they could heal each other through a single embrace. Many tears were shed that night by each, but they needed to be, and for the first time, Maria felt free from the emotional burden of her secrets. Her pain was not gone, and neither of them thought it ever would be, but she had taken a step towards recovery, and it was a big step.

Forgetting Johann's previous taunting, they spent the night in each other's arms, not realizing what the next few days would bring.

_Please R&R! I'll try to not take so long with the next one!_


	7. He Didn't See it Coming

**Shelter From the Past**

**Chapter 6**

**He Didn't See it Coming**

**Disclaimer: **I just realized that I don't even know who the rights belong to; I just know they don't belong to me…

**Author's Note: **Okay, so this chapter is unnaturally short, but I just wanted to post something to say that I hadn't forgotten about the story. I will probably write more after Saturday when rehersals and performances of a show I'm in are done.

**Summary: **Hasn't changed, but an important character is about to enter their lives.

_Forgetting Johann's previous taunting, they spent the night in each other's arms, not realizing what the next few days would bring._

* * *

It had been a long time since Johann had had the desire to wake up for any reason except to avoid punishment of some kind. With Maria back in his life, however, he was pleasantly surprised to find himself almost eager to start the day. With a refreshing, genuine smile, he sat up in bed and looked around the room. It was clean and tidy, with every possesion of its former occupant placed exactly as it had been seven years ago. Johann still didn't know why he had restored Maria's room after she ran away, but he was glad he had.

The bookshelf by the window was lined with worn out copies of Shakespeare, Dickens, and other masterpieces that Maria had immersed herself in growing up. Against the wall on the other side of the window, at the foot of her bed was a small, upright piano with a hollow bench that Johann knew to filled with sheet music by both classic composers and Maria herself. Johann's eyes traveld over to the night stand and he sighed. Placed delicately next to a vase of lillies that he refilled every week was a small music box; the one piece of her mother that Maria had managed to salvage when they were taken away from their home. Looking back towards the bed, he realized why it was unearthly quiet in the room; the bed spread was untouched; Maria had never come in.

Johann smirked; he knew exactly where she was.

Trying to push away the image that entered his head not a second earlier, he stood up and crept silently into the hallway and away from his still sleeping nieces and nephews. He started towards the kitchen to fix breakfast, but in his walking quickly to avoid the urge to look at the barn door, Johann also failed to see the hung over figure of his uncle coming up the hill.

* * *

_I know it was short, but please review anyway! Suggestions are welcome as well, as I am a little unsure as to what's going to happen once her Uncle gets there and sees her._


	8. Demons do Come Back to Haunt Us

**Shelter from the Past**

**Chapter 7**

**Demons Do Come Back Haunt Us**

**Disclaimer: **One day they will be mine! Yes? No? Maaaaaaaaaaaaybeeeeeeeee?

**A/N: **Thanks so much for your suggestions!

* * *

_Trying to push away the image that entered his head not a second earlier, he stood up and crept silently into the hallway and away from his still sleeping nieces and nephews. He started towards the kitchen to fix breakfast, but in his walking quickly to avoid the urge to look at the barn door, Johann also failed to see the hung over figure of his uncle coming up the hill._

* * *

The soft sunlight shining through the cracks in the wooden door landed sweetly on Maria's face and prompted her eyes to flicker open as she sighed contentedly; happy and safe in her husband's arms. Her smile brightened as she turned in his embrace and gazed thoughtfully at his still sleeping figure. They had been married for over a month, but it had taken her until the other night to realize just how much he loved her. Any other man would have heard her story and left her, unsure of what to think.

"_But not Georg." _She though, _"Not Georg…he stayed…and he knows everything. Well, not everything, I still haven't told him about the nightmares…and he still hasn't been inside my room." _

"Something on your mind?" Georg's sleepy voice broke through her thoughtful trance. Maria didn't respond immediately and continued to stare into space, not fully aware that he was awake and talking to her. "Helloooo?"

"What darling?" asked Maria somewhat dazedly, making it obvious that she had been somewhere else. Georg smiled, still half asleep.

"Nothing." He made a mental note that something was still bothering her. "What time is it?"

With everything that had passed in the last twenty four hours, Maria thought it an odd question. Her eyebrows furrowed and she smiled.

"What does it matter?"

"Well I assumed that even with guests here, Johann would wake up early to start daily activities." He paused, "And I don't think either of you wants him to walk in on us looking like…well…like this." He gestured to their bodies and for the first time that morning, Maria realized that they weren't covered by anything except her dress which Georg had half-heartedly thrown over them sometime during the night. Maria blushed into the roots of her hair.

"And I though last night was embarrassing enough!" She cried. They shared a laugh, but their moment was quickly broken by the sound of a dish shattering on the kitchen floor.

Out of habit, Maria's heart started beating a million times faster then it should have and when she spoke, the pure fear in her voice shocked Georg to his very core.

"What was that?"

* * *

"_Hmm… let's see: eggs, bread, milk…." _Johann counted off his breakfast ingredients in his head as he happily floated about the kitchen. He'd never made food for this many people before, but he didn't care; all was right in his world.

As he started slicing the bread, his mind drifted to seven of those whom he was slicing it for. He'd only met his nieces and nephews for an hour or two, but nevertheless, he was surprised at how much he cared about them. Something Maria had said entered his mind,

_"I knew they were troubled, but I couldn't help loving them on that first day."_

Maybe it was yet another thing he had in common with his sister; an immediate love for the Von Trapp family. His mind continued to wander…

_"One piece of toast…Liesl; witty yet naïve. Maria's right though, she does want to grow up…perhaps too quickly? _

_"Two pieces of toast…Friedrich; adorably innocent; it's a good thing he sees heroes in his parents. I wonder if he wants to grow up too, I think he's stuck._

_"Three…Louisa; how Maria managed to become the mother of herself is beyond me. It makes me worry that the two are so alike though…definitely one of the two least naïve and innocent._

_"Four…Kurt; I know he's not the youngest, but he still feels like the baby of the family. I admire how much he's managed to remain a child; it was something Maria and I were never able to do._

_"Five…Brigitta; I must remember to bring her some of Maria's old books. I don't think anyone but me noticed that she made her escape clutching a very worn out _Tale of Two Cities_. She knows far too much for her age, but she seems to like knowledge, and that's incredible._

_"Six…seven…Marta…Gretl; how could anyone resist? They're sweet, eager, and smiling. Why do I have such a desire to protect them?"_

Johann knew why: deep down, he felt that most of the children (despite how much he loved them) were far too innocent and naïve to be living in a house with so many skeletons; so many dangers.

It didn't matter though, right? Richard wasn't coming back for at least a few days, by which point, the family would probably be back on their way to Switzerland; the storm had stopped, there was nothing to stop them from leaving.

So why did he feel uneasy?

Johann took a pile of plates out of the cabinet and turned around to place them on the counter, only to drop them with a huge crash at the sight of his Uncle standing right in front of him.

Johann's mind was whirling so fast, he couldn't even form words. Why was he here? What was Maria going to think? Was her family safe? He had said yes before, but were they really? Was he drunk? Did it matter?

"Well don't just stand there, pick up the goddamned mess!" Richard's voice broke through Johann's mangled thought train and he instinctively knelt down to pick up the broken ceramic pieces that littered the floor. "Why so many plates anyway?" he growled. Johann didn't answer. "WELL? Were you planning on eating me out of house and home?" Johann refrained from reminding his uncle that even if that was his plan, he had every right to do so. "ANSWER ME!" Johann jumped.

"I was looking for something in the cabinet; I had to move the plates to do so." His voice had become monotone. He winced. Richard always knew when he was lying because his voice lost its personality.

"Don't lie to me."

_"Great." _Though Johann. "I wasn't." He tried to squeeze some sort of feeling into his response, but none came. Richard's eyes narrowed, Johann could see he was getting angry, but Johann couldn't tell him the truth; it was far too risky. Richard raised his arm as if to strike his nephew, but reconsidered. He smirked.

"Finish breakfast, your toast is burning." He said it cunningly and with an edge that told Johann that he knew something was going on, but he was going to be patient and let it reveal itself.

Richard turned and started to walk into the living room. He made it to the door way before Johann realized that the girls were sleeping just beyond where he could see.

"Wait!" Richard stopped and turned on his heel.

"What could you possibly want?"

Johann had to think up a good lie quickly and pray that his voice didn't give him away.

"Don't go in there yet…I haven't cleaned up." It came out normal; Johann could have jumped for joy. It wasn't a complete lie, he reasoned.

"Figures." Spat Richard, "Go then, but do it quick, I've been out all night, and deserve some rest!"

Without a word, Johann ran out of the kitchen, leaving his uncle to watch breakfast. Actually, he was surprised Richard hadn't seen the sleeping children when he walked in. _"Too hung over to notice probably."_ Thought Johann wryly.

When he reached the couch, Johann was startled to see the girls huddled together out of sight; the little ones were crying. _"Oh no." _he thought _"They heard the yelling."_

Liesl was the first to whisper anything. "Uncle Johann, what's going on? Who is that man?"

There were way too many questions lined up behind any answer, so Johann simply told them.

"I'll explain later. Right now, all of you need to go to my room where your brothers are, okay?" They all nodded and started to scurry out of the room. Marta was the last to leave. When she reached the hallway, she turned around and without thinking, shouted,

"Uncle Johann! What about mother and father?"

Time stopped for Johann. Richard came stomping out of the kitchen.

"What the hell is going on around here?!" he saw Marta "Who are you?"

Marta looked at the floor; it was physically impossible to look anywhere else.

"Johann! Explain all of this!"

Johann opened his mouth, but no sound come out. He didn't know what to do.

* * *

_"Johann! Explain all of this!"_

_"Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…" _Was all Maria could think. _"How could he be here, Johann promised me." _

"Maria, what's going on?" The same question had been asked not two seconds earlier in the next room, but in a very different tone. She couldn't bring herself to answer Georg's question, but she knew what she had to do.

Still silent, she slipped her clothes back on and walked to the door. Avoiding her husband's ever confused and concerned stare, she took a deep breath and turned the handle; this was not Johann's situation to explain…it was hers.

* * *

_Muahahahaha! I like cliff hangers. The little blue button feels lonely…it would be so pleased if you pushed it! Thank you for reading. I will try to update soon._


	9. What are you doing here?

**Shelter from the Past**

**Chapter 8**

**What are you doing here?**

**Disclaimer: **Nope.

**Author's Note: **I have no idea where I'm going with this story after this chapter and I have no idea when I will update again, but I promise I will finish this story before I go to college!

_

* * *

_

_Still silent, she slipped her clothes back on and walked to the door. Avoiding her husband's ever confused and concerned stare, she took a deep breath and turned the handle; this was not Johann's situation to explain…it was hers._

_

* * *

_

"For the last time, and you will answer me NOW," Richard was now only inches away from Johann, "who is that?" Johann stayed silent. Richard took a step back and began to circle him; taunting him. "Come now Johann, why all this secrecy? Hmm? Is she a love child of yours? I wouldn't be surprised." He stopped circling and focused his attention back to Marta who sunk even further into herself. "Why don't I just ask the bastard herself?" Johann fumed.

"Shut up."

Richard whirled around; his eyes ablaze with fury at the command.

"What did you just say?" His voice was controlled, but only just, and Johann could hear the threatening undertone. Nevertheless, he continued.

"I said shut up!" He looked at Marta. "She's a child; an innocent child," he turned disgustedly back to Richard, "and I'm telling you to step away from her…now." Johann was shocked at his own words, but he didn't have very much time to hide it as he felt a familiar fist slam into his head. Marta gasped. Johann stumbled back and reached up to touch his face. His hand was red when he brought it back down. Richard raised his hand once more, prepared to knock his nephew out, but Johann dodged him and pushed the traumatized Marta into the hallway.

"Run now!" She didn't need telling twice; Marta was gone in second.

After hearing his niece's footsteps disappear, Johann focused his attention back to Richard, who threw several more punches in an attempt to take advantage of Johann's brief distraction. Johann was now not only angry, but alert, and was easily able to avoid the blows of an exhausted, hung over man more than twice his age. Growing more furious with each of Johann's evasions, Richard finally grabbed a chair from behind him and swung it back; Johann had forgotten how strong his uncle could be. The crushingly heavy weapon was merely inches away from him. Johann shut his eyes and yelled, only to discover that Richard had turned around at the last minute and missed him completely.

He tentatively opened his eyes, and looked across the room; Richard was now staring at his disheveled niece, who looked more terrified of what she was doing than Johann had ever seen her look before.

He hadn't been the only one to cry out when Richard had hurled the chair towards him. Maria had opened the barn door, seen what her uncle was about to do, and, against her better judgment, screamed at him to stop.

"Richard, no!"

Silence filled the room as Richard stared blankly at Maria, still holding the chair above him - prepared to swing. Much to the siblings' surprise, however, Richard simply began to smile at his niece's appearance and gently lowered his weapon back onto the ground. He didn't even notice as Johann cautiously stood up behind him and moved to position himself to protect his sister should the need arise. Out of the corner of his eye, could see the rest of the von Trapps peaking out from behind their respective doors: the children from the hall, and Georg from the barn behind Maria, out of sight still to her uncle.

Maria and Richard had stiffened their stances, though Maria was still shaking on the inside. She hadn't thought to think past what she would do after stopping him from murdering Johann in front of her family, and now she almost wished she hadn't revealed herself. She knew that her uncle's smile was not one of happy welcome. It held a sense of foreboding within its creases and she felt it send a shiver down her spine; just as it had the day she'd run away. Unconsciously, she began to back towards the door where she knew the safety of her husband awaited.

"You're not leaving already are you?" Richard taunted.

Maria stopped and looked at him in disgust. Even after all these years, she could still feel his hands on her; she could feel his gaze pouring through her clothes. It was all she could do to not run and will the filth out of her skin from his thoughts.

Richard could easily sense her discomfort.

"I've missed you, Maria." He crooned. "Don't I at least deserve a proper hello?"

Reeking of the alcohol he had clearly thrown back endlessly the previous night, Richard stepped towards a paralyzed Maria. She couldn't bare herself – years of independence and she was seconds away from being as helpless to her uncle as she had been when she was a teenager. Her mind was screaming at her to move, but her legs would not obey, even as Richard kept inching closer, and closer, and closer. His hand was inches from her waist. Maria watched his hand reach out to touch her, but suddenly felt herself being pulled back violently.

"Get away from my wife!" Georg yelled viciously into Richard's face. He had been restraining himself knowing that Maria did not want her new family involved, but he simply couldn't bring himself to watch his wife relive the horrors she'd confessed to him the night before. Fire blazing in his eyes, Georg had slammed the door open and pulled Maria away before Richard had had his opportunity; this time Richard was not smiling – no one was.

* * *

_Sorry it took so long! I hope all of you are still interested in what happens next! Please R&R, maybe it will give me inspiration._


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